Bad Publicity
Being a Superhero isn't all it's cracked up to be. The heroes' lives and those of their loved ones are constantly in danger from their archnemeses and sometimes from their own powers, too. Sometimes someone else takes credit for their heroic efforts. But perhaps the most hurtful and confusing drawback comes when the people they've sworn to protect hate their guts. There are few reasons from the hero's actions: *Late payments on his/her Hero/Heroine Insurance. *The hero/heroine does not know his/her own strength. *The Hero/Heroine is in the middle of redemption. *The Hero/Heroine is taking on the mantle of a reviled Legacy Character. *Being a jerk. *He/She deserves it. *He or she is the type who benefits from it. *Their powers are harmful/"bad" by nature. Because people just plain want to pick on the hero: *Shooting the dog. *The public doesn't agree with the hero's lack of dog shooting. *Just because they're different. *Just because they have powers. Other: *Freedom of Speech, which is a common justification used. *Anonymous rumors, perhaps planted by a Villain with Good Publicity. *The Hero is centerpiece to some disastrous prophecy. *The hero's constant proximity to awful events makes him appear suspicious. *The news media just needs to sell some copies. *The news media/corporations/government really hates his guts for doing something anti-establishment. *The latest fashionable ideas rule out the idea of him being anything other than a villain. But whatever the reason, public sentiment is against these heroes and there's usually nothing they can do about it. Sorry you can't please everyone. Examples *''The Incredibles'': All supers have bad publicity after they're sued for causing damage while saving lives. The result is that using superpowers becomes illegal and they all have to go into the "Superhero Protection Program." By the end of Incredibles 2, this all ends after Mr. Incredible, his family, and Frozone thwart Screenslaver's attempt to sabotage Dev Tech's pro-super campaign. *''Shrek'' series: Shrek is an ogre and most people are fully prepared to assume the worst of ogres. Beginning with Shrek the Third, this has changed and the public not only accepts him, but views him as a local hero and role model. *''The Powerpuff Girls'': Before the girls becoming heroes as shown in The Powerpuff Girls Movie, their game of tag renders Townsville asunder ("Bug-eyed Girls Destroy Townsville" reads the headline of the Townsville Times). Even when they attempt to do something good, they are seen as pariahs. *''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'': Several protestors, politicians, and such angrily blame Superman for the massive destruction and loss of life from his battle against General Zod and his forces in Man of Steel. Batman also considers Superman a threat to the planet instead of a hero. *''Spider-Man'' trilogy: The titular hero faces a lot of flack mostly because of a smear campaign led by J. Jonah Jameson, though the public begins to accept him more as a hero as he faces off against the Green Goblin. *''Transformers'' film series: In Age of Extinction, the Autobots are branded as menaces to humanity by Cemetery Wind, who mercilessly kills off many of their number. The Transformers Reaction Force seems to go along with this in The Last Knight until Cade Yeager reveals to Santos that the true reason for humans turning on the Autobots was because they simply gave up on them after Dark of the Moon. *''Godzilla: King of the Monsters'': Although Godzilla saved humanity from the M.U.T.O.s five years ago and is working to rid the world of King Ghidorah's tyranny, he is still deemed a threat by the United States. Even Mark Russell wants Godzilla terminated because his son was killed during Godzilla's fight in San Francisco. Only Serizawa and Monarch appear to be on Godzilla's side. This seems to be going away, however, as multiple newspapers report about how Godzilla is keeping other Titans away from cities once the Titans accept and revere Godzilla as their king after Ghidorah's defeat. Gallery Dawn of Justice.png|Superman given bad publicity. Daily Bugle.jpg|Spider-Man given bad publicity by J. Jonah Jameson. Incredibles-disneyscreencaps.com-1228.jpg|Superheroes given bad publicity for causing so much damage (The Incredibles) Category:About Heroes